Venkatachalapathy Swamy Temple, Kumbakonam

Venkatachalapathy Swamy Temple is located just 7 km from the town of Kumbakonam and is a very famous temple of Lord Vishnu and his consort, Goddess Lakshmi.

In the temple, the god is venerated in the form of Venkatachalapathy, also known as Uppiliappan, Uppiliappan and Thiruvinnagar Appan; all these are different names of Lord Vishnu. Devi Lakshmi is also worshipped here in the form of Bhoomidevi.

The style and architecture of the temple spells grandeur; there are large prakarams along with sky-high gopurams. Various characters and episodes from the different Vedas are inscribed and sculpted on the ceilings, walls and the gopurams of the temple. One can learn a lot about Hindu rituals and mythology by simply looking at these and reading them. A lot of devotees throng to the temple simply to read the Hindu scripts and scriptures to attain spiritual empowerment.

Like most of the temples of Lord Vishnu, offerings prepared using salt are not allowed inside the temple.